CM Punk: “Vince McMahon is bankrolling a lawsuit against me.”

The former WWE Superstar, who is preparing to (Finally!) make his UFC Debut at UFC 203 on September 10th said as much during an interview on Thursday when asked about relations between him and the promotion that made him famous.

For those who haven’t heard, WWE filed a lawsuit against CM Punk (real name Phil Brooks) after candidly talked about his departure from WWE last Fall. WWE’s Dr. Chris Amann filed a defamation lawsuit against Punk as well as fellow former WWE Superstar Colt Cabana, who interviewed Punk on his podcast.

Amann filed the lawsuit on behalf of WWE–and by extension Vince McMahon–due to some disparaging comments Punk made about how he was treated before he literally walked out on the company in early 2014. Anyone who claims to know how Vince thinks knows he is always the first to know of any litigation filed against or by WWE. So yeah, Punk wasn’t exactly lying when he said that.

The court date is tenatively set for sometime in 2018. If the latest reports on Punk and Cabana’s longtime friendship suddenly ending are to be believed, Punk might find himself alone in the courtroom: Their friendship ended after Cabana recently attended Monday Night RAW and met with several people backstage after the show. Punk went apeshit when he found out about it, concerned it could hurt their defense against WWE.

I can understand the anger on Punk’s part. Worst-case scenario, the visit opened the door to WWE possibly making a deal with Cabana in exchange for dropping him as one of the co-defendants. That would leave Punk in the line of fire opposite WWE alone.

Or does it?

Several notable midcard superstars have left the company on bad terms this year including Ryan Reeves (Ryback) and Stu Bennett (Wade Barrett). With reports Alberto Del Rio may be released after his 30-day suspension’s done, Punk may be able to mount a countersuit against WWE. It’s worth noting Vince reportedly told new talent hired just before and since Punk left the company not to approach him or talk to him.

That said, there’s no danger of Del Rio (Smackdown) and his girlfriend Paige (RAW) pulling a CM Punk/AJ Lee: Paige is under contract with WWE through 2019 so…yeah. The two were upset they were drafted by separate brands around the time they were both suspended for violating WWE’s wellness policy.

If WWE was smart they would find a way to keep Del Rio, who signed a 1-year contract with the company last year. He defeated John Cena for the U.S. Championship last year at Summer Slam. He hasn’t really been able to build much momentum since his return, mostly due to poor booking.

Speaking of poor booking: After The Miz went off on D-Bry last week, WWE needs to figure something out and figure it out fast. The Miz has been a Babyface Heel for most of his WWE career, usually to help push someone else. He is currently the IC Champion on Smackdown and it’s clear like Rusev, WWE’s still trying ro figure out what to do with him after the brand split.

I can understand his anger in that sense. WWE needs to do whatever it takes to keep him and most importantly, keep him happy. It was already bad enough letting CM Punk, Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes go when they did. Losing The Miz will seriously set them back a few years.

To those who keep chanting “CM Punk”: STOP. IT. WILL. NOT. HAPPEN. The lawsuit, even if thrown out ensures Punk will never return to WWE ever again. He’d sooner wrestle for another Wrestling promotion than return to WWE.